Cycling & running events in Yuma, 2026

Yuma Training Notes

Running: Locals keep running pretty simple in Yuma, with flat base miles on Canal in the Counties, Yuma Levee, College-Araby Canal Loop1, and the YUMA PERIMETER RUN. Yuma Desert Runners gives runners and walkers training runs, monthly social run / walks, and a steady crew for easy miles or intervals. Canal Run Club Yuma meets on Saturday mornings and has real momentum. The Yuma Perimeter Run is 40 km and gains +30 m, so the day is more rhythm than climbing. St. Patrick's Day 5k, Summer Solstice 5k, and Rachel's Run anchor the local race calendar.

Cycling: Riders use Yuma for road miles, gravel days, and early starts. 5 hours. Mostly Muffins rolls every Sunday at 7am from 16th St and Ave. B, with summer start time worth checking. The route covers 8 miles on 100% jeep roads. McPhearson pass is where the climbing talk starts, and the Kofa roads get mostly fast and fun.

Season: November to March is the clean window for running, riding, Z2, and long base miles. Summer changes the whole schedule because Yuma gets extremely hot, even with humidity usually very low. Gulf surges can bring moisture from the Gulf of California, so locals respect the forecast and go early. Winter brings warm days and more out-of-state visitors, so group runs and rides get busier. The valley riding is really fun to see all the food growing in the valley, especially when the rest of the country is frozen.